At Delhi Book Fair, E-Books are the Latest Attraction

September 2, 2012 | 10:34 pm

In The Times of India today, a story was posted that should be of at least passing interest to anyone fascinated by the slow but seemingly steady growth of e-reading in the developing world.

The article is essentially a brief snapshot of the 18-year-old Delhi Book Fair, where “e-books and web-based applications [are] on display” this year, as the article’s author writes.

Interestingly enough, the U.S.-based OverDrive has a booth at this year’s fair, which runs through September 9 at the massive Pragati Maidan (प्रगति मैदान) exhibition center.

“This year, a lot of Indian publishers have signed up with us,” says OverDrive’s Johanna Brinton, who’s quoted in the article. “The number of Indian publishers moving to digitized versions has almost grown four times. But it is still modest compared to other countries. We thought the Delhi Book Fair would be the best platform to rope in more publishers.”

And in case you’re curious, a ticket to this year’s Book Fair will set you back a whopping Rs.20; in American currency, that’s about 36 cents.